This invention relates to a system and method for renewing biological activity in a biological reactor. More specifically, this invention relates to accelerating the renewal of biological activity in a biological reactor in the event of a reduction in the activity of the biomass contained therein.
Efforts to protect the environment include advanced biological treatment of wastewater through the use of biological reactors. It is the activity of biomass within the biological reactor that degrades contaminants in the influent to effect a filtration process. At times there may be a reduction in biomass activity which can seriously limit the effectiveness of the biological reactor, and in some extreme cases cease the functioning of the biological reactor altogether. The remedy is to inoculate the biological reactor to renew its biological activity, thereby restoring the efficacy of the biological reactor.
Conventional methods of inoculation in biological reactors can, however, be quite involved, costly, and time consuming. For example, the process may consist of fermenting and thickening an inoculum in a laboratory to suit a particular application, which often takes several weeks. During the time elapsed until the inoculum is prepared, the biological reactor is not operational. This period of downtime can be costly and highly inefficient.
After the inoculum is prepared, it must be transported from the laboratory to the biological reactor. Because the laboratory in which the inoculum is prepared is often remote from the biological reactor, the cost for such transportation is usually significant. This is especially true given that the inoculum is heavy (in slurry form) and significant in volume. Time is also lost during transportation, thereby extending the downtime of the biological reactor.
Once shipped or otherwise transported to the field location, the lab-developed inoculum may then need time to acclimate to actual field conditions. While efforts are made to simulate the conditions of the biological reactor at the laboratory, the inoculum will often need time to adjust to the actual biological reactor and the conditions under which it operates. This acclimation period also extends the downtime or recovery time of the biological reactor.
The distinct requirements for producing inoculum for each application in a laboratory setting, combined with the field labor necessary to handle the shipment and introduce the inoculum to the biological reactor, make this conventional inoculation method a rather costly enterprise.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method for inoculating a biological reactor.
This invention provides a system for inoculating a biological reactor having a chamber. The chamber is configured to contain influent and biomass to degrade contaminants in the influent. A vessel is configured to receive influent and biomass from the chamber and to substantially isolate the received influent and biomass from that contained in the chamber. The vessel is also configured to deliver the isolated influent and biomass to the chamber, thereby facilitating inoculation of the biological reactor.
This invention also provides a system for inoculating a biological reactor having a chamber configured to contain influent and biomass to degrade contaminants in the influent, wherein the system includes means for substantially isolating influent and biomass received from the chamber from influent and biomass contained in the chamber. The system also includes means for delivering isolated influent and biomass to the chamber, thereby facilitating inoculation of the biological reactor.
Additionally, this invention provides a method for inoculating a biological reactor having a chamber adapted to contain influent and biomass to degrade contaminants in the influent. A portion of influent and biomass received from the chamber is substantially isolated from influent and biomass in the chamber. At least a portion of the isolated influent and biomass is delivered to the chamber, thereby inoculating the biological reactor.
Moreover, this invention provides a method for configuring a biological reactor for inoculation, wherein the biological reactor includes a chamber adapted to contain influent and biomass to degrade contaminants in the influent. A vessel is connected to receive influent and biomass from the chamber, wherein the vessel is configured to substantially isolate received influent and biomass from that in the chamber. At least a portion of the isolated influent and biomass is returned from the vessel to the chamber.
This invention also provides a biological reactor including a chamber configured to contain influent and biomass to degrade contaminants in the influent, and a vessel configured to substantially isolate influent and biomass from that contained in the chamber. The vessel is configured to receive influent and biomass from the chamber. The vessel is also configured to deliver isolated influent and biomass to the chamber, thereby facilitating inoculation of the biological reactor.
Furthermore, this invention provides a method for providing inoculum for a biological reactor having a chamber adapted to contain influent and biomass to degrade contaminants in the influent. A portion of influent and biomass received from the chamber is substantially isolated from influent and biomass in the chamber. The isolated influent and biomass is maintained at substantially the same temperature as in the chamber.